Here is a link to how this drain was installed: ruclips.net/video/V17s91XeqvU/видео.html Similar Drain Project: ruclips.net/video/SjZ95sGaD-k/видео.html
Any worries of the sod over the French drain drying out under drought conditions due to lack of soil between grass and stone? I remember brown spots on childhood home where large rocks were just below sod.
Great knowledge and technique on installation. Licensed Landscape Architect in North Carolina here, not an internet troll. Wanted to bring out a couple of items of interest. In my area we have fine grained silty clay soils and the use of underdrains, sub-drains, or French Drains is common. French Drains are also a great solution to drain sub-surface springs that create soggy spots. 1. Use of geo-fabric may or may not be a long-term solution dependent on the amount of surface water you seek to drain. The geo-fabric will clog over time with those fine clayey soil particles so a more free draining fabric like landscape fabric may be a better solution. 2. Since you didn't cover the fabric with a soil layer a warning that the sod cut and replaced directly over the fabric will dry out in the heat and drought of late summer. Fescue grasses rely on a steady supply of moisture and require at least 4" depth of soil. 3. The video didn't mention whether the flexible pipe used was a perforated pipe and whether the holes in the pipe were placed on top or on bottom. Typical hole placement is on top allowing the voids in the surrounding rock to fill prior to water getting in the pipe for removal. This method allows small rains and excess water to re-percolate back into the water table. Keep up with the good presentation. Not enough information out there for DIY grading and drainage projects like yours. Kudos!!!
Mark - Civil Engineer in North Carolina here, appreciate your points but curious what the reasoning is on suggesting landscape fabric over geo-fabric? This goes against the majority of details I've seen/used.
@@jordanchandler3704 simply an effort to apply more free-draining fabric, if any. Have had instances nearer streams in more "cobbly" soils in which no fabric wqs specified. Fine clay soil particles clog the fabric over time.
The thing about your videos is that you don’t go on and on. You get the important stuff out there and explain really well without every boring step that is inconsequential anyway. Thanks for a really good video. I really need help like this in front of my house!
I'm a first time home buyer and my home is in desperate need of this!! I'm so grateful for this video. It has really alleviated a lot of my worries before closing....seems like I can fix my negative grading!!
Thanks for sharing, Ryan. Nice job. You clearly have clayey soil and are a good candidate for a french drain. I know because I had about 200' installed 8 years ago because I also have very dense soil and had ponding issues around the house in addition to poor grading that I inherited that didn't drain away from the foundation. But I think you made a miscalculation that could've taken care of even the temporary ponding and it's one I fortunately caught my contractor making and then corrected. I think you would've been better to toss that sod for another project. It's growing in the same clayey soil that's preventing the water to quickly "perc", or soak into the ground, and you've effectively capped the trench you wanted to collect surface runoff. In my case the contractor dug a deeper trench than yours, properly wrapped the pipe and gravel, but then proceeded to replace the soil they'd just removed. I pointed out that they were just sealing in the trench with the soil that was causing the problem in the first place, and that any surface runoff was still just going to sit there, as before. We agreed and he ordered the crew to remove the offending soil and we brought in soil that's rated for leach field installations, that is, tested for adequate perc rates approved by the county Department of Health. While a "certified" soil isn't necessary, you get the idea. Anything's better than what you're removing. Now even in the heaviest downpours (Upstate NY) and in the spring melt, there's no ponding even 8 years on. Yours seems to be somewhat working but were I to do it I'd cap it with different soil and reseed it, or maybe better, bring in a pallet or two of sod from a sod farm and lay it in. But I do think your sod is not helping the solution.
Thanks! Also thank you for sharing that. I am always want to learn new more and you bring up a great point. Never thought of regrowing grass in a more perm soil.
@@ThatTechTeacher427 This is what I like to see. Good video explaining the simple things that most people don't understand well. Commenters politely suggesting possible ways to improve the design/performance, and the content producer engaging with the comments. I really hope to see your channel grow big, and keep doing the good work
you're spot on; i had a contractor that didnt know this, i didnt know this either at the time; so i had to remove the backfill and replace with organic soil
Excellent follow up to the installation video! What satisfaction to see your hard work pay off, I'm sure! I came back to edit my response of your first video, which was I"m glad I had the volume up on that one. I would have assumed that you had just used weed block fabric. Over here taking notes! Thanks for the update!
If you happen to have puddling on your sidewalk after it rains, one tip that found to work very well is to cut into the dirt at the edge of the sidewalk and "Curb-strip" by one inch creating a little small channel low spot for water to escape. You are pretty much edging your sidewalk lawn, but cutting deeper and a littler further back. It doesn't look bad if you do the entire strip. I had the same problem on my sidewalk wand used this method to get rid of them.
Thanks, I have that on the walkway to my front door. I have spent a couple of years dealing with erosion along my driveway - finally got that stable. Never thought to dig away dirt (and plants) from around the walkway.
We just bought a house on .50 Acers and have been here for two weeks and it poured rain the other day and the entire back yard was a river & "Pond". Hope this works! Thanks for the video, dude! Now I have an idea what to do. GREAT VIDEO! Subbed✌🏻
Thank you for these videos!! We have a serious drainage issue that has caused water to flood into our home. We have paid to have 2 sets of french drains put in, but still occasionally have water getting in on one particular corner. Might try to add on the the current french drains to save $$ since the city refuses to do anything. I just discovered your videos. Subscribed! Thank you!
Sorry to hear that. Hope you find something that works. Sometimes a professional is the way to go. Maybe it could be your foundation drains idk. Thanks for watching!
Sometimes water comes in through the concrete foundation. I've seen people go as far as digging down to the foundation walls and spraying them with red guard waterproof membrane paint with a paint sprayer. They put sump pumps into the catch basins to rapidly pump out the water.
Second that! It’s good to see the flow rate and speed of dry out from one of these “burrito” wrapped systems. Interesting to see (as Chuck w Apple Drains would say) that you can’t beat mother nature’s rainfall- water is still going to pool; however, the yard quickly drains and your system works throughout and after the rain event. It’s also interesting to see that the burrito wrapping still has brown/silted water during the heavy rain, but almost clear after the rain event and ground water continues to drain. There’s definitely trade offs between putting catch basins along a French drain (making it a hybrid French and yard drain) and doing a wrapped French/curtain drain for longevity. Thanks for posting; and I agree, your RUclips presentation is quite good, keep it up.
Great video. Enjoyed it and learned from it. Yeah i would have mentioned whether the pipe was perforated or solid. ... and Geez I would think that whoever graded the property prior to building your house should go to school. I hope your home inspector told you all this would need to be done before you bought the house too. Thats a lot of work doing all that. But nice to see the water flowing through the cleanouts when you were done. Very satisfying.
Have you considered using an atrium-style grate for that sidewalk inlet? It would prevent leaves clogging the top of the grate as easily as the flat version does at 3:05. That way you don't have to go pick off grass after each rain :)
Well thought out, well designed, and well built with good choice of materials. Only thing I would note, and this largely depends on whether one has irrigation or lives in a cooler climate, is that the system could be a few inches deeper, to allow the sod over the system a few extra inches of soil depth. Would help keep the soil from drying out as quickly on hot days, and stressing the turf in that area. Nice, clean job. Thanks for posting.
That Tech Teacher that’s what I was wondering if you had enough top soil over the fabric to sustain the sod. I’m getting ready to do the same thing on both sides of the house.nice work .
"So I can look in for my own curiosity". Your wife will never be able to understand what is so interesting with water flowing in a pipe underground. :-)
Great how to and follow up video. My only concern is the longevity of the grass over the gravely. Just wonder if over time the water movement through the grass to the gravel might take away a lot of the nutrients and dirt needed to keep it alive. Just a curious question and no basis in personal experience. But would be neat on an update in a year or so to see if the grass in that area still looks that perfect. Thanks for the vid
my exact thought, all the murky water in the drain at the start is the finer dirt particles critical for the long term health i suppose the grass can be seeded with new dirt when needed but would be interesting to see how much is actually being flushed away vs if it had the chance to drain naturally. On the plus side though, less water is evaporating away and should help with fresh water supplies for the area (not much but every little helps, might at least balance out the need to water the grass every now and then during warm seasons
Great job! Wish you showed us how you connected to the street drain and got under the sidewalk (particularly backfilling). I have a similar problem. Side tip, always complete the lowest point first - in case of rain during installation, it would be a real mess if you didnt.
Great suggestion! When backfilling under the side walk try to use the finer or broken up parts of dirt and pack it in with a shovel or spud bar. You could also use something like sand or a finer gravel to get it packed back in.
Great video. I did similar solution in my garden. The only problem I notice during hot summer days is that the lawn above the drain is suffering more than the rest. Water is dissapearing faster in places where drainage is build and the colour of the dry grass is different compared to the rest of the lawn.
What I did with my drain, is took a 16 inch paver and cut an inner square to the size of the drain and put it on top of the drain. This way the grass stays clear. You can also paint it green to blend with the grass.
do you have a comparison of how bad it used to flood there during and after a rain? thanks for this. I may do this to my house in back, i live in a mountain and sadly i have to get the rock up 40 stairs to my backyard from driveway....no clue how to do that without breaking my back, only me. lol
Good project, but one question on the corrugated drain pipe versus a smooth interior? The corrugated pipe system is generally used to slow water down inside the pipe so you don't have. A washout or hetting effect at the out fall. I guess the concern id have is how muddy the early water is the corrugation may start filling with silt and eventually have an issue.
Asking for a friend...... How much more would it take to include filtration for capture of rain water! Just talking in terms of a gravity feed for dry season lawn care! I was thinking sump pump and raised storage!
I appreciate how you edit-in a previous vid to help explain your purpose. T y. Your vid is well explained with strong content. (I learned something new bc I’m not lost in your instructional vid bc of the above.)
So thought communists in east europe and now they have to take measures to take water back into fields and forests because soil degraded drastically, its almost sterile instead of fertile and heavily eroded. Dont do that mistake too. Hold your water as long as possible instead. Or soon you will have only rocks instead of soil in your yard.
Ryan, great video. I must have missed it but what is it draining into ? The first video you mentioned if you were going to tap into the sewer drain system. Is that what you did. Thanks in advance.
nice clay terrain seem clever way to have solved your issue may make nice use info and your ways that done it for my self case ty for sharing your experience.
I saw you mention that the heat was drying out the area where you may not have had enough dirt under where you pulled up the sod. I had a similar issue in Atlanta, GA. I was able to slowly rebuild up soil/sod by slowly and constantly laying more sand/soil mixture and watering it in. Over time it made a huge difference and didn't cause a ridge. Just a little annoying but it paid off big time. I think my wife got riverbed sand and we mixed it with top soil. Unfortunate thing was we had to buy much more than we needed as it came by 1/3 square yards. . But we used the rest to level off the yard in spots.
nice video and great job..can you tell about how much that cost you..and how much did you save to do it yourself instead hiring a company..thanks for sharing
Now that is very good work I did this as work when I was 19 and things that worked then still work now, I like this method and it needs no work on it apart from when we did this we dug 3 feet and lined with two grades of stone it was a golf course and them greens floating on water is not a good look haha but the rain in the United Kingdom is bad and golf is no good if the green movement us like the sea.
That was great ....I have. Problem. With water come in my sunroom from my sliding door ... I have large stepping stones. leading out from door . When it rain it back up.. I was thinking of putting some kind of drainage about 3in. wide. . Don't know how to go about doing it., help Thanks
If I install a EZ Flow French Drain pipe (with the 'shipping peanuts' and cloth surround), can the end be closed with a solid cap underground? Would the pipe just fill up and let the water seep into the ground? I have it attached to a 6" catch basin under a down spout. (I'm concerned I would lose the pitch and not have a strong enough water flow to put a pop up emitter on the end of the pipe).
Short answer is yes but depending on your soil type the water may sit in the pipe awhile before it is able to seep out into the dirt. Also the size of the pipe will determine how much water it can hold.
I imagine tying into a city storm sewer would be against code so how was it working on this in the cover of darkness? Having said that i'm amazed that during construction of that subdivision that the grading was done so poorly!
I have to install about 400ft of french drain in my yard this summer. The issue I have is that I also have to install a backyard sump to drain it all out to the front storm drain. Gonna rent a trenching machine for mine
I have a question from my girlfriend's yard... On Drainage... Most of the water drains into her yard, from up the road, to down her driveway, all drains into back yard and it becomes soaked, how do you get the water out to the street?? Pump?? There is a Large drain pipe underneath the ground running through the yard. Should she contact the town to get access to the pipe...
I would like to run water into my lawn as it is flat and dry. How would you suggest i finsh the pipe ( where it stops in the middle of the lawn) if i were to do this. Thanks ,great video
Ok, I'm a little lost. Where is the pipe getting water from and with the French drain what happens to all the water that goes into the rocks? I'm looking at wanting to do something like this with the gutter drain spots.
One of they best DIY videos I've seen on french drains. I noticed you said the trench was about 100 feet. What would they hypothetically cost start to finish?
You are correct I should have left more dirt. The grass did not completely die but it did yellow during the hot months of summer. The grass did green back up in the fall.
I was wondering about this as well. The video doesn't show where the water is leading out to. My sidewalk has the same pooling issue but don't know how to go about leading the water out.
I think the water i a real heavy rain is going to be discolored by moving through the ground so fast. It could also be the small amount of sediment that was in the gravel when I made the drain system. I will checking on it and if I see something good or bad I will make another video.
Were there holes in the pipe that was put down? I watched the other video and there wasn't any speaking of the way the pipe was opened up to allow the water to enter. I need to put one of these in and I'm trying to get a battle plan.
Great video series - how has the grass above the pipe held up in hot weather? I feel like it could dry it very quickly with minimal soil below there. Also, great to see the use of a drone to give an overview to your situation! What kind do you have?
Hello, great videos. How would you handle a driveway that slopes slightly towards the garage? I have this issue and when it rains hard, water will pool up against the house and seep in over the foundation. Is a channel drain my best option? If so, thats probably a little more difficult than your regular DIY project..thanks.
Thanks! I am not a professional although if I were to attempt something like this I might use a channel style surface drain something like this: www.lowes.com/pd/NDS-2-in-dia-Channel-Drain-Kit/1001360712
Good job. Looks like it's working well. My professional recommendations would have been to spend a few extra dollars and went to a contractor supply store and upgraded to higher quality materials. SCH40 pipe and better filter fabric. Other than that it looks like a professional job!
Enjoyed both videos. Hypothetically, how would you have tied the French drain into the storm water system? Somehow I missed the explanation..maybe because the tie-in was hypothetical.
I have heard f people cutting a square hole in the top of the storm sewer line and using a round 4" to square gutter connector to attach to the pipe. It goes from round to square so it will never fall into the other pipe.
Hello and thanks for the videos! I am planning to install an outdoor shower on what is currently a small dirt surface adjacent to my garage. I am a bit concerned about the drainage. I assume I can implement the French drainage solution for this, or what would you recommend? Thanks again.
I seen part 1, my back yard is my problem. I don't have much grass, could I leave the rocks exposed instead of covering them back up with grass or dirt?
Hello I asked a question on the "Part 1" of your french drain project, but I'll ask it again here for good measure. Did you use a perforated pipe (I'm leaning towards "yes" based on one of your side notes in this video) and if so which direction did the perforations face (assuming you didn't use a perforated pipe that has perforations all around). I read many years ago that the perforations should face down in french drains. I'm curious as to what your research showed you, your thoughts, and what you actually did (and your thoughts now that it's done).
I have heard f people cutting a square hole in the top of the storm sewer line and using a round 4" to square gutter connector to attach to the pipe. It goes from round to square so it will never fall into the other pipe.
I would that is why I don't put gravel below the pipe just the fabric So that not much water will leave the pipe. In yard drainage we don't need to move every ounce of water the goal is to move 95% as fast as possible. Then the rest will eventually make it's way down the trench.
I still have no idea how the other side of the sidewalk works. Where is the water ending up? I believe in the other video it says it was not connected to the sewer line. And the water is going in the drain inlet on the side of the sidewalk to the street. Then where is the water going?
Hi, looking at the over head i see the multi pitches of slope of your yard. It looks like a natural drainage all the way out in the streets. the decorative mound was put in afterward the French drain directs the water to the curb storm drain area but it shows ground fault separation is already happing at the drop in the sidewalk undermining that and cement storm drain curb area . I heard you use the term word" hypothetically" in reference to using 4 inch pipe in the public area. Please advise viewers to be careful, Many town codes may restrict water discharge in that area past the walk. and in cold climates it will speed up that damage. also if ice from your drain is on walk can cause a falling hazard for neighbors if this applies in this situation. Nice presentation ,Good luck.
Here is a link to how this drain was installed: ruclips.net/video/V17s91XeqvU/видео.html
Similar Drain Project: ruclips.net/video/SjZ95sGaD-k/видео.html
Any worries of the sod over the French drain drying out under drought conditions due to lack of soil between grass and stone? I remember brown spots on childhood home where large rocks were just below sod.
That Tech Teacher would Frost have any effect on a system like that I don't know if even work with northern areas with snow.
@@lesmoore3638 good point. Same affect as sand underneath sod.
I have no idea why part 1 and 2 were recommended to me, or why I watched them, but I was definitely entertained.
Awesome!
same here...i dont have a problem like this but im really thinking about it where i could bulid one :D :D :D
RUclips algorithm got me here haha noice channel!
I don’t even own a home, but here I am.
June 2021. Sames.
Great knowledge and technique on installation. Licensed Landscape Architect in North Carolina here, not an internet troll. Wanted to bring out a couple of items of interest. In my area we have fine grained silty clay soils and the use of underdrains, sub-drains, or French Drains is common. French Drains are also a great solution to drain sub-surface springs that create soggy spots. 1. Use of geo-fabric may or may not be a long-term solution dependent on the amount of surface water you seek to drain. The geo-fabric will clog over time with those fine clayey soil particles so a more free draining fabric like landscape fabric may be a better solution. 2. Since you didn't cover the fabric with a soil layer a warning that the sod cut and replaced directly over the fabric will dry out in the heat and drought of late summer. Fescue grasses rely on a steady supply of moisture and require at least 4" depth of soil. 3. The video didn't mention whether the flexible pipe used was a perforated pipe and whether the holes in the pipe were placed on top or on bottom. Typical hole placement is on top allowing the voids in the surrounding rock to fill prior to water getting in the pipe for removal. This method allows small rains and excess water to re-percolate back into the water table.
Keep up with the good presentation. Not enough information out there for DIY grading and drainage projects like yours. Kudos!!!
FWIW driving by this guy's house the line of sod is visibly brown now as it's been hot with little rain lately so, spot on with your comments.
Great feedback - I too wondered about the sod in hot weather...seems like a very tiny amount of soil to retain moisture below the blades
Thanks for your information
Mark - Civil Engineer in North Carolina here, appreciate your points but curious what the reasoning is on suggesting landscape fabric over geo-fabric? This goes against the majority of details I've seen/used.
@@jordanchandler3704 simply an effort to apply more free-draining fabric, if any. Have had instances nearer streams in more "cobbly" soils in which no fabric wqs specified. Fine clay soil particles clog the fabric over time.
The thing about your videos is that you don’t go on and on. You get the important stuff out there and explain really well without every boring step that is inconsequential anyway. Thanks for a really good video. I really need help like this in front of my house!
I'm a first time home buyer and my home is in desperate need of this!! I'm so grateful for this video. It has really alleviated a lot of my worries before closing....seems like I can fix my negative grading!!
Awesome!
Thanks for sharing, Ryan. Nice job.
You clearly have clayey soil and are a good candidate for a french drain. I know because I had about 200' installed 8 years ago because I also have very dense soil and had ponding issues around the house in addition to poor grading that I inherited that didn't drain away from the foundation. But I think you made a miscalculation that could've taken care of even the temporary ponding and it's one I fortunately caught my contractor making and then corrected. I think you would've been better to toss that sod for another project. It's growing in the same clayey soil that's preventing the water to quickly "perc", or soak into the ground, and you've effectively capped the trench you wanted to collect surface runoff.
In my case the contractor dug a deeper trench than yours, properly wrapped the pipe and gravel, but then proceeded to replace the soil they'd just removed. I pointed out that they were just sealing in the trench with the soil that was causing the problem in the first place, and that any surface runoff was still just going to sit there, as before. We agreed and he ordered the crew to remove the offending soil and we brought in soil that's rated for leach field installations, that is, tested for adequate perc rates approved by the county Department of Health. While a "certified" soil isn't necessary, you get the idea. Anything's better than what you're removing. Now even in the heaviest downpours (Upstate NY) and in the spring melt, there's no ponding even 8 years on.
Yours seems to be somewhat working but were I to do it I'd cap it with different soil and reseed it, or maybe better, bring in a pallet or two of sod from a sod farm and lay it in. But I do think your sod is not helping the solution.
Thanks!
Also thank you for sharing that. I am always want to learn new more and you bring up a great point. Never thought of regrowing grass in a more perm soil.
@@ThatTechTeacher427 This is what I like to see. Good video explaining the simple things that most people don't understand well. Commenters politely suggesting possible ways to improve the design/performance, and the content producer engaging with the comments. I really hope to see your channel grow big, and keep doing the good work
you're spot on; i had a contractor that didnt know this, i didnt know this either at the time; so i had to remove the backfill and replace with organic soil
Loved the 2 video's. Short and to the point! My back started to hurt watching you wheel barrow all that rock from your driveway! Thanks for sharing!
You are a natural for YT, nice presentation! Watched both vids and subscribed. Thx
Thanks! I really appreciate that!
Great job !
Such drains are nice around the house. AFTER the clay mud barrier on the foundation.
Thanks!
Excellent follow up to the installation video! What satisfaction to see your hard work pay off, I'm sure! I came back to edit my response of your first video, which was I"m glad I had the volume up on that one. I would have assumed that you had just used weed block fabric. Over here taking notes! Thanks for the update!
Thanks!
Yes you are correct!
If you happen to have puddling on your sidewalk after it rains, one tip that found to work very well is to cut into the dirt at the edge of the sidewalk and "Curb-strip" by one inch creating a little small channel low spot for water to escape. You are pretty much edging your sidewalk lawn, but cutting deeper and a littler further back. It doesn't look bad if you do the entire strip. I had the same problem on my sidewalk wand used this method to get rid of them.
Thanks, I have that on the walkway to my front door. I have spent a couple of years dealing with erosion along my driveway - finally got that stable. Never thought to dig away dirt (and plants) from around the walkway.
love that you showed both dry & wet ! very good! Both videos you did good.
We just bought a house on .50 Acers and have been here for two weeks and it poured rain the other day and the entire back yard was a river & "Pond". Hope this works! Thanks for the video, dude! Now I have an idea what to do. GREAT VIDEO! Subbed✌🏻
I was excited for you to see it all working and flowing well!
Thank you for these videos!! We have a serious drainage issue that has caused water to flood into our home. We have paid to have 2 sets of french drains put in, but still occasionally have water getting in on one particular corner. Might try to add on the the current french drains to save $$ since the city refuses to do anything. I just discovered your videos. Subscribed! Thank you!
Sorry to hear that. Hope you find something that works. Sometimes a professional is the way to go. Maybe it could be your foundation drains idk.
Thanks for watching!
Sometimes water comes in through the concrete foundation. I've seen people go as far as digging down to the foundation walls and spraying them with red guard waterproof membrane paint with a paint sprayer. They put sump pumps into the catch basins to rapidly pump out the water.
Great job. Thanks for showing the results with rain. Makes a big difference.
Thanks for the follow up! First time someone showing how it actually works.
The people asked... 😀
Second that! It’s good to see the flow rate and speed of dry out from one of these “burrito” wrapped systems. Interesting to see (as Chuck w Apple Drains would say) that you can’t beat mother nature’s rainfall- water is still going to pool; however, the yard quickly drains and your system works throughout and after the rain event. It’s also interesting to see that the burrito wrapping still has brown/silted water during the heavy rain, but almost clear after the rain event and ground water continues to drain. There’s definitely trade offs between putting catch basins along a French drain (making it a hybrid French and yard drain) and doing a wrapped French/curtain drain for longevity. Thanks for posting; and I agree, your RUclips presentation is quite good, keep it up.
I think this answered my questin about a potential drained string of grass. With rains like this you dont have droughts.
Great video. Enjoyed it and learned from it. Yeah i would have mentioned whether the pipe was perforated or solid. ... and Geez I would think that whoever graded the property prior to building your house should go to school. I hope your home inspector told you all this would need to be done before you bought the house too. Thats a lot of work doing all that. But nice to see the water flowing through the cleanouts when you were done. Very satisfying.
Thank you!
That's a lot of hypothetical water going into that hypothetical drain :)
👍
Technically, yes. Lol.
2:35 "Hiya Georgie, what a nice boat..."
Have you considered using an atrium-style grate for that sidewalk inlet? It would prevent leaves clogging the top of the grate as easily as the flat version does at 3:05. That way you don't have to go pick off grass after each rain :)
Well thought out, well designed, and well built with good choice of materials. Only thing I would note, and this largely depends on whether one has irrigation or lives in a cooler climate, is that the system could be a few inches deeper, to allow the sod over the system a few extra inches of soil depth. Would help keep the soil from drying out as quickly on hot days, and stressing the turf in that area. Nice, clean job. Thanks for posting.
Thanks!
That Tech Teacher that’s what I was wondering if you had enough top soil over the fabric to sustain the sod. I’m getting ready to do the same thing on both sides of the house.nice work .
"So I can look in for my own curiosity". Your wife will never be able to understand what is so interesting with water flowing in a pipe underground. :-)
😂 Truth!
Great how to and follow up video. My only concern is the longevity of the grass over the gravely. Just wonder if over time the water movement through the grass to the gravel might take away a lot of the nutrients and dirt needed to keep it alive. Just a curious question and no basis in personal experience. But would be neat on an update in a year or so to see if the grass in that area still looks that perfect. Thanks for the vid
my exact thought, all the murky water in the drain at the start is the finer dirt particles critical for the long term health i suppose the grass can be seeded with new dirt when needed but would be interesting to see how much is actually being flushed away vs if it had the chance to drain naturally.
On the plus side though, less water is evaporating away and should help with fresh water supplies for the area (not much but every little helps, might at least balance out the need to water the grass every now and then during warm seasons
Wow very impressive. Can't wait to see the next project. 👍🏻
Great job! Wish you showed us how you connected to the street drain and got under the sidewalk (particularly backfilling). I have a similar problem. Side tip, always complete the lowest point first - in case of rain during installation, it would be a real mess if you didnt.
Great suggestion!
When backfilling under the side walk try to use the finer or broken up parts of dirt and pack it in with a shovel or spud bar. You could also use something like sand or a finer gravel to get it packed back in.
Great video. I did similar solution in my garden. The only problem I notice during hot summer days is that the lawn above the drain is suffering more than the rest. Water is dissapearing faster in places where drainage is build and the colour of the dry grass is different compared to the rest of the lawn.
Thanks for the info. Maybe more dirt above the drain will help keep the roots moist longer. I could have done that.
dont drain your soil.
What I did with my drain, is took a 16 inch paver and cut an inner square to the size of the drain and put it on top of the drain. This way the grass stays clear. You can also paint it green to blend with the grass.
That is a good idea. You always know where it is and easy to mow over it.
do you have a comparison of how bad it used to flood there during and after a rain? thanks for this. I may do this to my house in back, i live in a mountain and sadly i have to get the rock up 40 stairs to my backyard from driveway....no clue how to do that without breaking my back, only me. lol
Good project, but one question on the corrugated drain pipe versus a smooth interior? The corrugated pipe system is generally used to slow water down inside the pipe so you don't have. A washout or hetting effect at the out fall. I guess the concern id have is how muddy the early water is the corrugation may start filling with silt and eventually have an issue.
Asking for a friend......
How much more would it take to include filtration for capture of rain water! Just talking in terms of a gravity feed for dry season lawn care! I was thinking sump pump and raised storage!
Wish every vid had the link to its update, ty. Congrats on nice result
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 (attempting to compensate for underrated comment).
This video helps me with excellent concepts and mellow-ness.
I am weirdly ready for more videos.
I will have a question before too long
Awesome! I'll be ready
I appreciate how you edit-in a previous vid to help explain your purpose. T y.
Your vid is well explained with strong content.
(I learned something new bc I’m not lost in your instructional vid bc of the above.)
I appreciate that!
30 years ago my tech teacher said ' you only need three things to make good turf , drainage drainage & drainage ' - he was right . Nice job
Awesome thanks!
So thought communists in east europe and now they have to take measures to take water back into fields and forests because soil degraded drastically, its almost sterile instead of fertile and heavily eroded. Dont do that mistake too. Hold your water as long as possible instead. Or soon you will have only rocks instead of soil in your yard.
Ryan, great video. I must have missed it but what is it draining into ? The first video you mentioned if you were going to tap into the sewer drain system. Is that what you did. Thanks in advance.
Excellent video. No wasted time or words. Great info for the problem I have.
Glad it helped
nice clay terrain seem clever way to have solved your issue may make nice use info and your ways that done it for my self case ty for sharing your experience.
I saw you mention that the heat was drying out the area where you may not have had enough dirt under where you pulled up the sod. I had a similar issue in Atlanta, GA. I was able to slowly rebuild up soil/sod by slowly and constantly laying more sand/soil mixture and watering it in. Over time it made a huge difference and didn't cause a ridge. Just a little annoying but it paid off big time. I think my wife got riverbed sand and we mixed it with top soil. Unfortunate thing was we had to buy much more than we needed as it came by 1/3 square yards. . But we used the rest to level off the yard in spots.
Thanks for the tip
Hey @jamesbarber1273, just saw this comment. Where'd you get the riverbed sand and topsoil at? I'm in ATL south of Decatur.
nice video and great job..can you tell about how much that cost you..and how much did you save to do it yourself instead hiring a company..thanks for sharing
Really interesting information on the french drain. Watched both videos. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching!
Now that is very good work I did this as work when I was 19 and things that worked then still work now, I like this method and it needs no work on it apart from when we did this we dug 3 feet and lined with two grades of stone it was a golf course and them greens floating on water is not a good look haha but the rain in the United Kingdom is bad and golf is no good if the green movement us like the sea.
That was great ....I have. Problem. With water come in my sunroom
from my sliding door ... I have large stepping stones. leading out from door . When it rain it back up.. I was thinking of putting some kind of drainage about 3in. wide. . Don't know how to go about doing it., help
Thanks
Just changed my mind, I was going to pay to have this done. Now I’m a DYI guy! Saved $!
Great Video. How does the water get in the pipe you buried in the gravel? Does it have holes in it?
Thanks for the update. Great job.
No problem, thanks for watching,
If I install a EZ Flow French Drain pipe (with the 'shipping peanuts' and cloth surround), can the end be closed with a solid cap underground? Would the pipe just fill up and let the water seep into the ground? I have it attached to a 6" catch basin under a down spout. (I'm concerned I would lose the pitch and not have a strong enough water flow to put a pop up emitter on the end of the pipe).
Short answer is yes but depending on your soil type the water may sit in the pipe awhile before it is able to seep out into the dirt. Also the size of the pipe will determine how much water it can hold.
Putting that Mavic to good use on the channel, well done Mr. G, looks great!
Thanks!
Handy tool to have.
I imagine tying into a city storm sewer would be against code so how was it working on this in the cover of darkness? Having said that i'm amazed that during construction of that subdivision that the grading was done so poorly!
I have to install about 400ft of french drain in my yard this summer. The issue I have is that I also have to install a backyard sump to drain it all out to the front storm drain. Gonna rent a trenching machine for mine
I have a question from my girlfriend's yard... On Drainage... Most of the water drains into her yard, from up the road, to down her driveway, all drains into back yard and it becomes soaked, how do you get the water out to the street?? Pump?? There is a Large drain pipe underneath the ground running through the yard. Should she contact the town to get access to the pipe...
I would like to run water into my lawn as it is flat and dry. How would you suggest i finsh the pipe ( where it stops in the middle of the lawn) if i were to do this. Thanks ,great video
One idea I have seen people use is something called a pop up
Where does your water empty out too? Or is it dispersed through the tube? Does the tube have notches in them?
Ok, I'm a little lost. Where is the pipe getting water from and with the French drain what happens to all the water that goes into the rocks? I'm looking at wanting to do something like this with the gutter drain spots.
Water seems quite silty? Over time this would silt up a sewer for example (only asking as I was considering tying mine into the sewer)
One of they best DIY videos I've seen on french drains. I noticed you said the trench was about 100 feet. What would they hypothetically cost start to finish?
Thanks!
200'+ actually. It averaged out to about $2.50 per foot.
how did the grass over the french drain do over the summer. There wasnt much dirt for it to grow in
You are correct I should have left more dirt. The grass did not completely die but it did yellow during the hot months of summer. The grass did green back up in the fall.
Awesome video. How did you “tap” into the city drain at the curb?
Hypothetically?
At the end of the lowest point of your drain, what should I place there? Looks like you piped underneath the sidewalk and to where exact;y?
I was wondering about this as well. The video doesn't show where the water is leading out to. My sidewalk has the same pooling issue but don't know how to go about leading the water out.
Is tying your drainage tiles directly into the city storm sewers legal?
Would it be possible to put a mini water wheel in there that could power small yard lights?
In theory yes
Does the grass over the drain discolor compared to the rest of the yard due to less water retention in the soil over the drain.
THis is a silly question but does the water shoot out of the black tube or where does the water shoot out from?
Nice to see an after video on this. Cheers
Thanks!
Great video, thank you! Did you expected that much dirt coming out? WIth the fabric, I was thinking the water was going to be pretty clean.
I think the water i a real heavy rain is going to be discolored by moving through the ground so fast. It could also be the small amount of sediment that was in the gravel when I made the drain system. I will checking on it and if I see something good or bad I will make another video.
Were there holes in the pipe that was put down? I watched the other video and there wasn't any speaking of the way the pipe was opened up to allow the water to enter. I need to put one of these in and I'm trying to get a battle plan.
Great video series - how has the grass above the pipe held up in hot weather? I feel like it could dry it very quickly with minimal soil below there. Also, great to see the use of a drone to give an overview to your situation! What kind do you have?
Thanks!
Grass has started to dry out more than the rest of the yard. Should have left more dirt. DJI Mavic Pro Platinum
That Tech Teacher sweet! I have two DJI products I use for work and really like them a lot. Keep up the great content
Hello, great videos. How would you handle a driveway that slopes slightly towards the garage? I have this issue and when it rains hard, water will pool up against the house and seep in over the foundation. Is a channel drain my best option? If so, thats probably a little more difficult than your regular DIY project..thanks.
Thanks! I am not a professional although if I were to attempt something like this I might use a channel style surface drain something like this: www.lowes.com/pd/NDS-2-in-dia-Channel-Drain-Kit/1001360712
Good job. Looks like it's working well. My professional recommendations would have been to spend a few extra dollars and went to a contractor supply store and upgraded to higher quality materials. SCH40 pipe and better filter fabric. Other than that it looks like a professional job!
Great point! Thanks!
You did a fantastic job.
Thanks I appreciate it!
Great video and presentation!!! Easy to follow! Nice work.
Thanks!
Excellent follow-up!
I appreciate it
Enjoyed both videos. Hypothetically, how would you have tied the French drain into the storm water system? Somehow I missed the explanation..maybe because the tie-in was hypothetical.
[Knock, knock]
Hello, Mr. TechTeacher? I'm from the city....
I have heard f people cutting a square hole in the top of the storm sewer line and using a round 4" to square gutter connector to attach to the pipe. It goes from round to square so it will never fall into the other pipe.
@@ThatTechTeacher427 You crack me up :):):):):):)
Great video! Glad to see its works just as you wanted it to!
Thanks!
did do a curb cut to exit the water to the gutter?
Does the piping have to be on a slope?
My rear garden floods around the edges but it’s all flat
Ya just a slight slope works so the water can flow in one direction
Hello and thanks for the videos! I am planning to install an outdoor shower on what is currently a small dirt surface adjacent to my garage. I am a bit concerned about the drainage. I assume I can implement the French drainage solution for this, or what would you recommend? Thanks again.
This may work great or depending on how you do is a catch basin at the low spot to collect the water may work well too.
@@ThatTechTeacher427 Thank you.
Cool videos. Is ~2in of depth for the sod over the drain enough for long-term health?
Right now the grass above the drain is slightly lighter than the rest of the yard you may want more dirt on top if the drain.
I seen part 1, my back yard is my problem. I don't have much grass, could I leave the rocks exposed instead of covering them back up with grass or dirt?
Yep.
Hello I asked a question on the "Part 1" of your french drain project, but I'll ask it again here for good measure. Did you use a perforated pipe (I'm leaning towards "yes" based on one of your side notes in this video) and if so which direction did the perforations face (assuming you didn't use a perforated pipe that has perforations all around). I read many years ago that the perforations should face down in french drains. I'm curious as to what your research showed you, your thoughts, and what you actually did (and your thoughts now that it's done).
Yes I did sorry for not saying that. Mine has slits on all "sides" that is why I want gravel on all sides of the pipe.
Is that grass in your lawn Kentucky blue grass or tall fescue?
Nice set of vid's, but how did you tie into the storm drain?
I have heard f people cutting a square hole in the top of the storm sewer line and using a round 4" to square gutter connector to attach to the pipe. It goes from round to square so it will never fall into the other pipe.
Man, there must have been some serious water pools forming but now it's pretty good to go. : ) nicely done.
Thanks 👍
Can you link the clean outs used?
Is this something that could be done around the exterior walls of home? Help water from down down exterior basement walls?
Ya I see videos of people doing very similar projects like that on RUclips all the time.
Maybe I'm dumb but I can't see how the water inters the pipe. Are there perforations on the top side of it?
Ya perforated pipe
How did connect to the sewer line? I would prefer to terminate the line at the sewer vs above ground but don't know if diy connecting to the sewer.
Hypothetically it is just like connecting any two pipes together but it is probably good to call the city you live in for their rules and regulations.
If the pipe has holes all around it, would water not just exit the pipe at the bottom?
I would that is why I don't put gravel below the pipe just the fabric So that not much water will leave the pipe. In yard drainage we don't need to move every ounce of water the goal is to move 95% as fast as possible. Then the rest will eventually make it's way down the trench.
@@ThatTechTeacher427 awesome thanks for the reply! I’ll be doing this shortly and that one part never made sense to me haha
Does the grass dry up in the summer with such a small amount of soil for the roots?
I still have no idea how the other side of the sidewalk works. Where is the water ending up? I believe in the other video it says it was not connected to the sewer line. And the water is going in the drain inlet on the side of the sidewalk to the street. Then where is the water going?
how does the ground water go thrue the durt and in the french drain , Did you drill a buch of holes in the pipe ?
Sorry I should have been more clear the pipe is perforated ( has a bunch of slits cut into it)
Hi, looking at the over head i see the multi pitches of slope of your yard. It looks like a natural drainage all the way out in the streets. the decorative mound was put in afterward the French drain directs the water to the curb storm drain area but it shows ground fault separation is already happing at the drop in the sidewalk undermining that and cement storm drain curb area . I heard you use the term word" hypothetically" in reference to using 4 inch pipe in the public area. Please advise viewers to be careful, Many town codes may restrict water discharge in that area past the walk. and in cold climates it will speed up that damage. also if ice from your drain is on walk can cause a falling hazard for neighbors if this applies in this situation. Nice presentation ,Good luck.
Thanks and you make multiple good points
A before / after would have been good for water pooling but that depends a bunch on rainfall eh?
Good vid.
Thanks!
How do you tap into the sewer drain?
What I may have missed is where is the water ultimately draining? Once it goes under the sidewalk, where do you have that drain connected?
Storm drain line
I'm wondering how long that fabric will last. It looks like it would degrade quickly
So, is the water going into the main sewer? how did you do that?
Curious... Did your grass die over the drain ?
Very well made video. Learned a lot.